Most of Season 11 of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was spent focusing on the legal woes of Erika Jayne and now-estranged ex-husband Tom Girardi. Erika vehemently defended herself after news broke that Tom and his legal firm were being sued for embezzlement.
Sutton Stracke was the first Housewife to hold Erika’s feet to the fire, causing issues with Erika, and also everyone else in the friend group who was taking sides. After a tense dinner party at Kathy Hilton’s home, it seemed like the friendship between the two could not be salvaged.
Now with Season 12 starting, Sutton speaks out on their relationship and how the upcoming season was for both of them.
Sutton still has ‘a lot of questions’ for Erika
Sutton recently threw a Cashmere and Caviar party to launch a new collection for her boutique, Sutton Concept, and spoke openly about the upcoming season.
In regards to her friendship with Erika, Sutton said, “I think that Erika and I still have a lot of work to do. I think it was, yet again, a very tumultuous ride.” The two were at each other’s throats most of last season, and Sutton was one of the few willing to stand up to Erika and attempt to get the truth from her regarding her legal situation.
“I said this last time: we go hot and cold in our trips, because we go from Mexico to Aspen, and I think all of us go hot and cold [too],” Sutton explained, referring to the internal workings of the standard Housewives connections. “We make friends, we don’t make friends. It’s just your normal housewife day.”
When asked if she felt Erika was more transparent and truthful this season, Sutton answered, “I don’t know. I always have questions for Erika.” She did divulge a little gossip about the upcoming season, saying, “I enjoyed moments with Erika. It was my hardest season and also probably my best learning curve season, but it’s so explosive. We had so much fun and then so many fights and then so much fun and then fights. I call it the season of forgiveness.”
Crystal Minkoff admits she believes Erika
Crystal and Sutton have worked on their relationship since last season, but that doesn’t mean that she agrees with Sutton when it comes to Erika. “I don’t know, you can call me gullible,” Crystal said. “I tend to believe people at face value because that’s who I am. I just tell the truth, like it or not. But I also can tell the truth, you know what I’m saying? That’s who I am.”
She further elaborated on her feelings on Erika’s legal issues, revealing, “I always believe her. I’m good with everybody, that’s just my personality. I like to always give people the benefit of the doubt. If there’s things that I don’t like or I feel in conflict with, I’ll say that.”
Crystal also said that she will always give Erika a chance, admitting, “Just because I have a conflict about the situation or something, doesn’t mean I’ll write you off completely. I think if you want to become friends with someone or have clarity, then you need to let that out.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 12 premieres on Wednesday, May 11 at 8/7c on Bravo.